Cutter chain



Sept 2, 1941. I w. T. MOCULLOUGH 5 4 19 INVENTOR I 4 ZVlgl d/fi vATTORNEY I Patented Sept. 2, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUTTERCHAIN William T. McCullough, Chicago, 111., assigncr to GoodmanManufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of IllinoisApplication April 4, 1940, Serial No. 327,756

4 Claims.

cutting points at each end thereof and which are relatively short, sothey can economically be thrown away when dull. Various types of holdershave been provided for holding and adapting these bits for use in thestandard form of cutter chain blocks, but diificulty has beenencountered in providing a removable bit holder for holding the shortthrow-away cutter bits in the standard type of cutter chain, in such amanner that the holder will not be thrown or lost from the cutter chainblock in cases where the bit is out of its bit holder and the chaincontinues to be driven about the cutter bar.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a novel bit holderfor cutter chain bits of the class described, so arranged as to hold thecutting bit in position in the cutter chain block at the required gauge,and also so arranged that the holder cannot be removed from the blockexcept at the will of the operator.

Other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as thefollowing specification pro-,

oeeds and with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through a portion of acutter chain, showing a bit holder constructed in accordance with myinvention in position in the cutter chain block;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure1; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged isometric view of the bit holder shown inFigures 1 and 2.

Referring now in particular to the drawing, a portion of a cutter chainfor a mining machine is shown. The chain is of an ordinary constructionand may be made up of a series of chain blocks l0, l pivotally connectedtogether by a series of parallel spaced straps II, II. Said chain isdriven by a sprocket (not shown) and is guided in a guide channelextending around a cutter bar (not shown), for cutting the coal as thecutter bar is sumped into the coal face and fed thereacross.

The chain block I0 is of a usual construction well known to thoseskilled in the art, and is provided with a bit receiving aperture 12explane of travel of said chain. Said bit receiving aperture isintersected by a threaded aperture 13 extending along said chain blockin a direction parallel to the direction of travel of said chain. Saidthreaded aperture is adapted to have a set screw l4 threaded therein,the end of which is adapted to engage a projecting portion 15 of a bitholder l6, adapted to be detachably mounted within the aperture 12.

The bit holder 16 is provided with a forward- 1y facing abutting surface1'1 and a forwardly spaced engaging surface 29. Said surfaces areinclined at the angle it is desired the cutter bit be positioned, andthe space between said surfaces is adapted to receive a cutter bit l8 insuch a manner that the forward and rear sides of said cutter bit will beabutted by said surfaces. Said bit holder is longitudinally slotted asindicated by reference character l9. Said slot opens to the surfaces'l'land 20 of said bit holder to form a generally U-shaped member, to permitone portion of said bit holder to be yieldably moved towards the otherportion thereof, so the set screw 14 may hold said bit in said bitholder when in engagement with the projecting portion I5, and so saidbit holder may also open to permit ready removal of the bit, when saidset screw is backed away from said projection.

Said bit holder may be constructed from steel or any other suitablemetal having enough resiliency to cause said bit holder to open whensaid set screw is backed away from said bit holder, to permit readyremoval of the cutter bit from its holder and to cause the projectingportion IE to extend into the aperture l3, to lock said bit holder insaid chain block so it cannot accidentally be lost.

A V-shaped recessed portion 21 is provided just beneath the engagingsurface 20 and is adapted to have the lower end of the bit rest thereon,to limit downward movement of said bit in said bit holder, to insure thesetting of said bit to the proper gauge. The portion of said bit holderjust behind the cutter bit is formed as a continuation of said bit so itmay be cleared by said bit during cutting. Said portion is provided witha rearwardly projecting shouldered portion 23 adapted to engage the topsurface of the cutter chain block. Said shouldered portion besideslimiting downward movement of said bit holder with respect to said blockalso serves as an abutment against which said bit holder may reactduring cutting.

When it is desired to insert said bit holder in tending therethrough ina plane parallel to the the cutter chain block 10, it is placed in thebit receiving aperture l2 and the face 20 is drawn towards the face I!by pressure on the top of said bit holder, to permit the projection l5to pass through said slot and register with the threaded aperture l3,the resiliency of said bit holder locking said projection in registeredengagement with said aperture, to lock said bit holder in said block.When said bit holder is so positioned in said block, the cutter chainbit may then be placed in position in said bit holder and firmly clampedin position therein by turning of the set screw [4 against theprojection I5.

The bit holder may be removed from said cutter chain block by firstbacking the set screw l4 from the projecting portion 15 and. removingthe bit [8, and then tightening said set screw to compress said bitholder and permit the projecting portion I5 to clear the inner end ofthe aperture I 3, so said bit holder may be drawn from said cutter chainblock.

It may be seen from the foregoing that a simplified form of bit holderfor a cutter chain bit of the throw-away type has been provided, whichis so arranged as to permit the bit to be accurately set to the correctcutting gauge and positively hold said bit in said position, and whichis also so arranged as to locl; itself in the cutter chain block so itcannot accidentally be thrown from said block upon removal of the bitfrom said bit holder.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my inventionmay be embodied, it will be understood that the constructionthereof" andthe arrangement of the various parts may be altered without departingfrom the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to beconstrued as limiting my invention to the specific embodimentillustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A holder for holding a cutter bit in a cutter chain block, includinga member adapted to fit in an aperture in a cutter chain block, saidmember being constructed from a yieldable metal and being slotted in alongitudinal direction to permit one side thereof to be yieldably drawntowar'd's the opposite side thereof, for clamping a bit in the spacebetween said sides, and the portion of said bit holder on one side ofsaid. slotted portion having a forwardly projecting portion adapted tobe engaged by a set screw in said chain block and adapted to be; engagedwith the aperture in which said set screw is mounted by resiliency ofsaid bit holder, to prevent the throwing of said bit holder from saidchain block when said bit has been removed therefrom.

2. A holder for holding a cutter bit in a cutter chain block including amember adapted to fit in an aperture in a cutter chain block, saidmember being constructed from a yieldable metal and being slotted in alongitudinal direction to permit one side thereof to be yieldably drawntowards the opposite side thereof, one side of said slotted portionleading to an inclined surface adapted to be engaged by the rear surfaceof said bit and the other side of said slotted portion leading to aninclined bit engaging surface adapted to be engaged with the forwardface of said bit, and a projection extending from the side of said bitholder opposite said bit engaging portion,.said projection being adaptedto be engaged with the aperture Within which the set screw for thecutter chain block is threaded by the resiliency of said bit holder, andbeing adapted to be engaged by said set screw, to engage said engagingsurface with the forward face of the cutter bit,- to hold said bit insaid bit holder.

3. In a cutter chain, a chain block, a cutter hit, an aperture in saidblock extending in a direction perpendicular to the plane of travel ofsaid 5 chain, a threaded aperture intersecting said first mentionedaperture, a set screw adapted to be threaded within said threadedaperture, and a bit holder for holding said bit in said first mentionedaperture, said bit holder being longitudinally slotted to permit oneside thereof to be yieldably moved towards the opposite side thereof bysaid set screw and having an inclined surface adapted to be engaged bythe rear face of said bit and an engaging surface adapted to s beengaged with the forward face of said bit by said set screw, and aprojection from said bit holder adapted to be engaged with the aperturefor said set screw, to cause said bit holder to be held in said cutterchain block by resiliency of said bit holder.

4. A holder for holding a cutter bit in a cutter 'chain block, includinga member adapted to fit in an aperture in a cutter chain block, saidmember being constructed from a yieldable metal and being slotted in alongitudinal direction to permit one side thereof to be yieldably drawntowards the opposite side thereof, for clamping a bit between saidsides,- and said member having a projecting portion adapted to beengaged with an apertured portion of said cutter chain block byresiliency of said member, to prevent the throwing of said member fromsaid chain block when said bit has been removed therefrom.

WILLIAM T. MCCULLOUGH.

